THE Integrity Commission on Friday said it has made 150 ex-parte applications to the High Court for orders directing people who have failed to file annual declarations and statements to do so, in accordance with the Integrity in Public Life Act.
The commission added that it is preparing additional applications to the court for other people who have not filed their declarations as yet. These applications, the commission said, will be presented shortly.
An ex-parte application is one that is brought by one person without the other party or parties having to be notified.
In a statement, the commission said this is part of a special project to implement its policy on outstanding declarations on statements for February-August 2021.
It said these applications are in respect of people whose names have been published in the newspapers in previous years for failing to file declarations and statements.
There has been a long history, it said, of some people in public life not filing annual declarations and registrable statements. In light of this, the commission said it is pursuing a new approach to carrying out its mandates.
The commission said it had adopted a general policy on declarations outstanding from people in public life since 2014.
"In the discharge of its mandate, the commission has been making ex-parte applications to the High Court under section 11 (7) of the act, in respect of persons who have failed to file their annual declarations of income, assets and liabilities and statements of registrable interests."
Under Section11(8) of the act, it said, someone who does not comply with the court after an ex-parte order is made commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of $150,000.
Under Section 21(1), a person who fails to provide further particulars and who fails to file a declaration without reasonable cause is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $250,000 and to ten years' imprisonment.
In its 2020 annual report, the commission said, a total of 23 ex-parte court orders were served on people in public life who failed to file their declarations of income, assets and liabilities and statements of registrable interests. last year. This was in spite of their names being published in newspapers and in the Gazette. The commission added that 11 of the 23 people served with ex-parte orders had complied with them.
In its 2020 report, the commission noted comments made by Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi's in January about Trinidad and Tobago ranking 86 out of 180 countries on Transparency International's 2020 Corruption Perception Index (CPI), as signs of TT making "significant strides in combatting corruption."
The commission also said it made recommendations to Cabinet about amendments to the Integrity in Public Life Act, that could improve its investigative capabilities. It said under the current legislation it is challenged to obtain certain information crucial to the proper and effective conduct of its invest
